Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Business, Innovation and Skills: Employment Agencies

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Joseph Johnson: The estimated cost for using external agencies for recruitment to Senior Civil Service posts in 2014/15 was £155,000. Information for previous years is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was of Official Development Assistance spent by his Department in each of the last six years; and what proportion of that assistance was subject to the International Development Act 2002.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 21 March 2016



Details on 2015 calendar year Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend will be published in the National Statistics publication ‘Provisional UK ODA as a proportion of Gross National Income 2015’ on 1 April 2016, at department level. I am therefore providing values for the 6 year period 2009-2014. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is building science and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging economies through the Newton Fund, which began in 2014. The Newton Fund is subject to the International Development Act 2002, whilst all other BIS ODA spend is not. However, all of the Department’s ODA spending is in line with the aims of the International Development Act. The Government is also introducing a new Global Challenges Research Fund of £1.5 billion over the next five years to ensure the UK’s world-leading research takes a leading role in addressing the problems faced by developing countries. This will mean that BIS’s ODA spend will increase over the current Spending Review period.  Table 1. The value of Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, 2009-2014   £m  200920102011201220132014total ODA37.347.940.048.048.579.0o/w ODA subject to IDA1-----4.61 International Development Act 2002source: DfID, Medical Research Council

Science: Lothian

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 69 of the Budget 2016, when his Department plans to start the science and innovation audit in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 21 March 2016



The first wave of Science and Innovation Audits, including the Edinburgh and the Lothians audit, were announced at Budget on 16th March. Consortia going through Wave 1 have been selected to represent a cross section of approaches, geographical areas, and capacity to engage actively in developing the methodology. Initial planning meetings will commence shortly and we expect the project to be delivered by the Autumn.

Research: Finance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of funding for research and development on productivity.

Joseph Johnson: There is clear and robust evidence of a link between research and development (R&D) spending and national productivity. Research indicates that every £1 the UK government invests in R&D generates a return of 20p per annum in perpetuity[1]. In addition that £1 of public expenditure leverages an average of £1.36 in private investment[2], generating even greater returns for the UK.This Government recognises the value of science and innovation as a driver of UK economic success. That is why we are protecting the science ring-fence in real terms during this Parliament at £4.7 billion per annum and investing a record £6.9 billion in science capital from 2015 to 2021. [1] Haskel, Hughes and Bascavusoglu-Moreau (2014) “The Economic Significance of the UK Science Base” http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/UKScienceBase.pdf.[2] Economic Insight (2014) “What is the relationship between public and private investment in science, research and innovation” https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/438763/bis-15-340-relationship-between-public-and-private-investment-in-R-D.pdf.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2016 to Question 30688, if he will publish the interests submitted by Mr Paul Newby when he applied for the role of Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: The appointment panel satisfied itself there were no conflicts of interest when they made recommendations to ministers in relation to the appointment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator. The Department does not intend to publish any information provided by candidates during this appointment process. In due course and as is usual practice, the Adjudicator’s office will publish a register of interests.

SMART Awards: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many SMART awards have been made to companies in Cambridge in each year since the introduction of that scheme.

Joseph Johnson: Innovate UK started delivering the Smart scheme in April 2011. The number of Smart awards made to companies in Cambridge in each year is:2011-12 37 awards2012-13 22 awards2013-14 25 awards2014-15 29 awards2015-16 20 awards

Small Businesses: Research

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on small and medium-sized enterprises of the decision to replace research grants for companies with loans.

Joseph Johnson: Like many of our competitor economies, we are looking to provide a range of innovation finance products to meet the needs of businesses; this will still include grant funding. Some countries (like France, Finland, or the Netherlands) make use of a variety of financial instruments to support innovative businesses. We have been working to understand how we can apply these established approaches to support, drive and encourage innovation in the UK. In the coming months we will be conducting market research to engage with, and fully understand the needs of, innovative businesses of all sizes in the UK. As part of the first phase of implementation the Government will announce the details of a pilot and accompanying evaluation in late 2016. The pilot will test specific financial products ahead of progressing to full roll-out.

SMART Awards

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons applicants for the fifth round of the SMART scheme will not be able to apply for a sixth round as initially advised.

Joseph Johnson: Innovate UK is currently in the process of simplifying its support to innovative businesses to make its funding programmes more visible and easier to access. Innovate UK expects to publish its Delivery Plan for 2016/17 in the spring.

Universities: Conditions of Employment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on commissioning an inquiry into casualised employment practices in UK universities; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government engages with stakeholders regularly on a wide range of issues. Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for taking decisions on issues such as their staffing and contracting arrangements. In our recent grant letter, we asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to look into the contractual status of academic staff.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoner Escapes

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January to Question 23624, how many offences were committed by prisoners who had absconded in the last year for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 23624 on 26th January 2016.

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Court of Appeal's recent decision on domestic violence evidential requirements for legal aid, what interim steps his Department plans to make for victims of domestic violence whose evidence is more than 24 months old.

Mike Penning: We are carefully considering the judgment and will make a further announcement in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the disability employment gap.

Justin Tomlinson: We are committed to halving the disability employment gap. In the last year, the number of disabled people in work has increased by 152,000. At the Spending Review, we announced a real terms increase in funding to help disabled people and people with health conditions to get into work and remain in work. This includes:Increasing the reach of Access to Work, providing support to an additional 25,000 people by 2020/21The Work and Health Unit which has secured £115million of funding, including at least £40million for a work and health innovation fund. The Work and Health Innovation Fund will pilot new ways to help working age disabled people and people with health conditions get in, stay in, and return to work as well as benefit from improved health outcomes.A new Work and Health Programme, restructuring our current provision to focus on providing the best possible support for claimants with health conditions or disabilities, as well as those who are long-term unemployed.Engaging employers through our Disability Confident programme to see the business opportunities for employing disabled people.Making the best use of the new funding of up to £100million per year that we announced in the Budget 2015 for additional practical support to provide the right incentives and support to enable those who have limited capability, but who have some potential to prepare, for work to move closer to the labour market, and when they are ready, back into work.

Remploy

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former workers of Remploy factories in each Parliamentary constituency are (a) looking for work, (b) in work, (c) retired, (d) in receipt of employment and support allowance and (e) in receipt of jobseeker's allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below is taken from the August 2015 Labour Market Statistics and shows the last data on number of former Remploy employees in work; claiming JSA or claiming ESA in England, Scotland and Wales.Currently in work (LMS)Claiming JSA (LMS)Claiming ESA (LMS)867234422 These statistics were gathered as part of the 18 month People Help and Support Package (PHSP) made available to ex-Remploy employees. We do not have the required data broken down by constituency and we did not collect data for those looking for work but not claiming ESA or JSA.When the PHSP ended in August 2015, 1,523 former disabled employees had received support from a Personal Case Worker and 867 were in work. A total of 1,182 jobs had been found, 422 were on ESA and 234 on JSA.DWP asked all disabled former employees made redundant from Remploy to give permission to be tracked. The data we have are necessarily incomplete because they only record the progress and outcomes of those individuals who gave this permission.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Northern Ireland

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on the illegal dog trade.

George Eustice: The Government takes the illegal movement of dogs seriously and it is committed to working with the Devolved Administrations, delivery bodies, enforcement agencies and non-government organisations to tackle this issue. Whilst there have been no recent Ministerial meetings on the illegal movement of dogs, Defra’s Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has recently discussed the issue with his Devolved Administration counterparts, including the Northern Ireland CVO. Additionally, there have been discussions on this issue between other Defra officials and officials within the Northern Ireland Devolved Administration.

Marine Conservation Zones

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to have put in place comprehensive management plans for each of the existing Marine Conservation Zones.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to delivering a ‘Blue Belt’ of well-managed Marine Protected Areas around our coasts. Where fisheries management measures are required, the Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities and the Marine Management Organisation will put in place measures, such as byelaws, for all inshore Tranche 1 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) by the end of this year. To date, 19 new byelaws and 14 new voluntary measures that complement over 25 legacy byelaws are already in place. Appropriate fisheries management measures for inshore Tranche 2 MCZ sites will be identified by January 2018, following their designation earlier this year.

Marine Conservation Zones

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what resources she plans to allocate to enforcing comprehensive management plans in current and future Marine Conservation Zones.

George Eustice: Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, marine regulators are required to enforce, and ensure compliance with, any management measures put in place to protect Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).In December 2015, Defra confirmed it would continue to allocate £3 million New Burdens funding until 2020, which can be used for costs associated with MCZ designation including enforcement. In addition, allocations of funding to various activities are set out in an Action Plan for the Marine Management Organisation and the Annual Plans produced by the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs).

Agriculture: Subsidies

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount of Common Agricultural Policy funding that (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland will receive in each year between 2014 and 2020.

George Eustice: The tables in the attached show, for Pillar 1 (direct payments) and Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), allocations for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 



PQ32054 - CAP Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 allocations
(PDF Document, 93.92 KB)

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Plans

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29982, on local plans, which local authorities fall into each of the four categories of authority.

Brandon Lewis: The Planning Inspectorate publishes this information for all authorities across England, available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-plans.

Council Tax

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people in local authority areas with a larger ageing population do not have to pay disproportionately higher council tax as a result of the social care precept.

Mr Marcus Jones: We have set the social care precept at a maximum of 2% for authorities with adult social care responsibilities. The council tax referendum principles remain in place, and are approved on an annual basis by the House of Commons. Any council tax rise above the overall threshold levels approved by the House must go to a binding referendum of the local electorate.

Right to Buy Scheme

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent on sending out information on the Right to Buy scheme to people who are not housing association or council tenants.

Brandon Lewis: The Department is committed to ensuring eligible council and housing association tenants have up-to-date information about their Right to Buy, so they can make an informed decision as to whether it is the right choice for them. A direct marketing campaign, to social housing tenants who could be eligible for the scheme, has proved a very effective way to reach them with this information.Total spend on direct marketing from 2012 is £280,773 in 2012/13, £334,163 in 2013/14, £329,165 in 23014/15 and £195,757 to date in 2015/16. The 2015/16 figure does not include final costs for the most recent wave of direct marketing that took place in February 2016.

Local Government: Devolution

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent officials in his Department have worked on devolution deals in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

James Wharton: The first devolution deal was agreed with Greater Manchester in November 2014. Since then, the agenda has expanded and accelerated and the Government has resourced accordingly. Devolution is cross-governmental and supported by officials in all relevant departments. The Cities and Local Growth Unit is a joint BIS-DCLG team that supports areas in developing and agreeing devolution deals with the Government. It has over 150 full-time equivalent staff—over 70 of whom are based in DCLG—working on a range of local growth agendas and has six local teams based across the country.

HM Treasury

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average time was taken to hear non-domestic rates appeals in each local authority area in the latest year for which data is available.

Mr David Gauke: The latest statistics on the average (median) time taken to resolve challenges, for non-domestic properties by local authority as at 30 September 2015 can be found on the VOA disclosure log in table Average time to resolve challenges, 30 September 2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-domestic-rating-average-time-to-clear The time taken to resolve an appeal can be affected by a number of factors, such as the complexity of the case or whether the case proceeds to be listed for hearing by the independent Valuation Tribunal. Some cases can be held up in litigation or placed on hold at the ratepayer's request.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

David Mackintosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of individual voter registration.

John Penrose: The transition to IER is now complete and has been a great success. Over 14 million applications have been made to register since the introduction of IER, almost three quarters of them online. Ghost entries have been removed, which means the electoral registers are more accurate and less vulnerable to fraud than before. The Electoral Commission is expected to publish its assessment of the completeness and accuracy of the first full electoral registers under IER, published in December 2015, this summer.